The tech industry trade group NetChoice has initiated legal action against the state of Virginia regarding a newly enacted law that limits minors’ use of social media to one hour per day. The lawsuit, filed recently, claims the law infringes on First Amendment rights by imposing “unlawful barriers” to online free speech for all Virginians.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed this social media legislation (SB 854) in May, with its implementation set for January 1, 2026. The law mandates that social media platforms restrict access for users under 16 years old to one hour daily unless parental consent is provided.
NetChoice further argues that the law requires social media platforms to verify the ages of users in potentially privacy-compromising ways. The legislation specifies that platforms must utilize “commercially reasonable methods” to verify ages, which could involve prompting users to enter their birth date. However, NetChoice suggests that this requirement could lead to more invasive verification methods, such as submitting government identification, as indicated by a statement from Governor Youngkin.
Concerns regarding data privacy are underscored by a recent incident involving Discord, which reported that approximately 70,000 users had their government IDs compromised due to a customer service data breach tied to age verification processes.
NetChoice, which has support from major tech companies including Meta, Google, and Amazon, contends that the law places undue burdens on minors’ access to lawful online speech. The co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, Paul Taske, emphasized that the First Amendment prohibits the government from imposing such restrictions, asserting that Virginia should allow parents to make decisions regarding their children’s media consumption without governmental interference.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/822475/netchoice-virginia-lawsuit-social-media-time-limit-law